


Chipped

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [136]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s01e15 Singularity, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 09:25:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18848206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: The first inclination he receives that something isoffis when he’s standing outside Captain Carter’s front door and Cassie asks her if they can bake chocolate chip cookies.





	Chipped

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Chocolate Chip Day’ (15 May). Set during season 1, after the events of Singularity.

The first inclination he receives that something is _off_ is when he’s standing outside Captain Carter’s front door and Cassie asks her if they can bake chocolate chip cookies.

It’s nothing significant; just a note of surprise in Sam’s expression, followed by a flicker of pain. It’s gone in an instant, so no-one would ever know it was there, and suddenly she’s smiling at Cass and telling her, _of course it’s okay if they bake_. But it’s enough for Jack to pick up on.

He tells himself that’s why he accepts her offer to hang out when he really should have left the two of them alone and gone back to the SGC, or gone home, or gone _anywhere_ else. He’s already spent the morning with Cassie at the park, and this is supposed to be Carter’s time with her, so he doesn’t interfere. He just pulls up a kitchen stool and _observes_.

For the most part, his captain hides whatever it is that’s bothering her but her smile never quite reaches her eyes, nor do her eyes sparkle in the way they do whenever she’s usually with Cassandra. Again, it’s not something anyone else would notice, but he does.

The sound of Sam’s voice pulls him from his thoughts and he glances over to see his teammate place her hands on Cassie’s shoulders and gently turns her around.

“The cookies are almost ready,” she nods. “Go and wash up.”

When Cass tears past Jack, he half-heartedly shouts ‘no running in the house’ after her, but his chuckle dies on his lips when he looks back at Sam. Her back is to him, but he can tell from the set of her shoulders that she’s tense.

“Everything okay, Captain?”

The question escapes him before he can stop it but she turns off the faucet and grabs a towel to dry her hands. He can see her thinking through her answer before she finally turns and faces him.

“Yes, sir.”

“You sure?”

She nods, and he wants to argue the point, but something in his gut tells him to not to. He doesn’t have to wait long.

“It’s just… this is harder than I thought it would be.”

A slight blush creeps onto her face at the admission, and Jack is on the verge of teasing her about how difficult baking cookies can be, when he catches the lost look in her eye.

“What happened?”

His voice is quiet, concerned.

“The last time I baked cookies – it was the day my mom died. I was twelve.”

He swears softly under his breath and suddenly feels the need to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I –”

“It’s fine,” she interrupts quietly. “I was just surprised when Cassie asked and I didn’t want to disappoint her and –”

“You’d never do that, captain, but you should have said something. I wouldn’t have let you do this,” he adds, gesturing towards the oven, “if I’d known.”

She shrugs in response, and Jack isn’t quite sure what to say to convince her that she didn’t need to do this, but for a reason he decides not to focus on, he’s also incredibly proud of her for fighting her demons for their kid and for feeling like she can trust him enough in the few months she’s known him to be able to confide in him.

“Carter, I –”

“I washed up, Sam,” Cassie excitedly calls from the doorway before she skips across the small kitchen.

“Good job, kiddo,” he answers on her behalf, his gaze lingering on Sam’s face for another few seconds. “Let’s see if they are ready, shall we?”

Sam nods and moves back to the oven but her movements are slow, methodical, like _this_ is the moment she was actually dreading as opposed to the actual baking. She turns to face him and freezes, right before he hears the slight rattle of the tray and sees the infinitesimal shake of her hands.

He’s standing in front of her before he can stop himself and his hands cover hers, guiding her and the tray towards the counter.

“Are they ready, Sam?”

He glances down to see Cass’s head poking in between the two of them.

“Cass,” Jack interrupts quietly, “Why don’t you grab some milk and we can check?”

As soon as she reaches the refrigerator he nudges Sam gently with his shoulder. “Y’alright?” he mumbles.

She nods, but doesn’t say anything, so he purses his lips and gently extricates her fingers from the tray.

“I’ve got this,” he adds, nodding for her to take the stool he’d been using.

When she silently follows his order, he frowns, but then Cass appears with the milk and he gives her a smile.

“They look good to me, Cass!”

She beams up at him for a second, and when she starts bouncing on her heels with excitement, he can’t help but grin.

“We need a plate.”

He watches as she makes her way naturally around Sam’s kitchen and before he knows it, there are three glasses filled with milk and a plate piled high with so many cookies, Jack wonders if Janet’s going to kill him whenever she picks up her daughter later.

“Want to see if there’s any cartoons on TV?”

With half a cookie already eaten, Cass bounces out of the kitchen. Sam gets to her feet and goes to grab two of the glasses, only for Jack to reach out and stop her. His fingers snag hers and he gives them a tug until she’s standing in front of him.

“It’s a really nice thing you did for Cassie.”

At her soft smile, he squeezes her fingers and she meets his gaze.

“I mean it, Sam. This kind of thing – well,” he shrugs, “it means a lot to kids.”

Jack sees her expression change slightly and he hesitates, but before he can let any of them delve any further into what he meant by his words, he pulls her closer, his arms wrapping around her. He feels her tense for just a second before she returns the embrace.

“Thank you, sir,” she mumbles against his chest and he feels the vibrations right through his entire body.

“For what?”

“For being here today.”

“I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else,” he answers honestly.


End file.
